Scholl sang two of my favourite Dowland songs, the first sadly faded out. The big 'find' fpr me was Kumau's Biblical Sonata No 2 for keyboard. I'd never heard of these before. (They came, apparently, with Kuhnau's own 'programme' about Saul and David.) They were played on different instruments, one of which, the clavichord, was never really intended for concert use. In one movement, I thought the player (whoever he/she was) was going to bust it!
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Scholl sang two of my favourite Dowland songs, the first sadly faded out. The big 'find' fpr me was Kumau's Biblical Sonata No 2 for keyboard. I'd never heard of these before. (They came, apparently, with Kuhnau's own 'programme' about Saul and David.) They were played on different instruments, one of which, the clavichord, was never really intended for concert use. In one movement, I thought the player (whoever he/she was) was going to bust it! -
So Kuhnau, not Kumau, Ardie.
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Just for your information, ardcarp, John Butt recorded the Biblical sonatas for Harmonia Mundi some time ago. The CD is available on Amazon, but at a rather inflated price. I think it was this that you heard in the programme, seeing that Butt uses the clavichord some of the time.
Just found this on French Amazon....it gives you the Biblical sonatas disc as well as another disc of sonatas he recorded. It can be had for around 11 euros second hand.
Last edited by MickyD; 18-05-21, 07:20.Comment
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Thanks both. Sorry about my dropped 'h' ! John Butt's recording was used in the programme, and he had apparently been consulted in person by Hannah.Last edited by ardcarp; 18-05-21, 09:29.Comment
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I haven't heard John Butt's recording but I used to have a double LP of Gustav Leonhardt playing the six sonatas, alternating between harpsichord and organ and also speaking the texts that accompanied the original publication.Comment
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.Originally posted by Richard Barrett View Post
(young Gustav L putting on his Arnie Schwarzenegger look, I think... )
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The original record cover was a lot more attractive!Comment
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The problem for me with the Leonhardt, at least if you don’t understand Dutch, is the spoken parts. You can’t edit them out (I’ve tried!) because he speaks over the music sometimes. However he did record one sonata on harpsichord on this CD, it’s rather good -
My favourite recording of these sonatas is with a harpsichord, by Fernando de Luca. He’s recorded Frische Clavier Früchte and Neuer Clavier Übung too - all worth hearing. Unfortunately I see De Luca’s Bible Sonatas has become hard to find, shame that, because I haven’t heard another I’ve enjoyed as much. You can hear the de Luca here, and presumably there’s a way of downloading them.
Willi Appel in his old book on keyboard music says that when Kuhnau’s good he’s very very good and when he’s bad he’s boring as hell (my paraphrase
) - that seems right to me, and I find I enjoy hearing his keyboard music pretty often.
He was probably a huge influence on JSB - think of all those clavier übungen! Bach is more consistent though.Last edited by Mandryka; 19-05-21, 12:46.Comment
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Leonhardt's spoken parts are actually in the original German (though with a Dutch accent). I agree though that they get in the way of the music, which is a shame since the playing is so good.Originally posted by Mandryka View PostComment
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This steered me towards my only Kuhnau disc, which also involves Andreas Scholl - Thomaskantoren vor Johann Sebastian Bach on the excellent DHM 50th Anniversary box. (Interestingly, all three composers are called either Johann or Sebastian). I hadn't played it for a while and was very grateful to be nudged towards it again. The disc begins strikingly (some unexpected timpani involvement and two clarino trumpets) with the Sebastian Knüpfer piece, Ach Herr, strafe mich nicht. I read that Knüpfer only got the Thomaskirche job aged a mere 24 when the designated successor, Johann Rosenmüller, had to rapidly leave the country following a scandal involving choirboys and went on to find employment at St Mark's, Venice.Originally posted by ardcarp View PostComment
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Listened this morning to Colin Tilney’s old recording, it’s fun. And no bible readings!Comment
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